A White Bathroom

Scrubbing the intricate grout on a floor of small hexagon tile can be a spiritual experience....and I say this because I prayed to God the entire time that I would always remember this experience and never put white grout on a floor of any future home that I owned! Girls there is a right way and a wrong way to do all white. A little decorating advise...white can work, but it has to be done right. I just left an early 90's home with 6 inch white tile everywhere. The gold fixtures and the movie star light bars were also a little dated...It was definitely the wrong way to do white...
The house I live in now, the cute 1930's farmhouse, has two white bathrooms. Of course, she spent some good money on the stuff in it, but you could do it for cheap too...
The rules for a white bathroom:
1. NO white grout on the floor. Grey or dark brown or black is much better. It highlights the tile and saves your back.
2. Do thicker grout lines for a more aged and rustic look, perfect for non perfectionist housekeeper.
3. Subway tile, square tile and patterned tile are all still in.
4. Buy timeless fixtures...
5. Stick with the style of your home! Don't put a contemporary bathroom in a farmhouse. And don't put Victorian or Old World in a Ranch. It just wont flow people.
6. You have to love it. Don't put marble in your bathroom unless you love it! Just because your neighbor has it, doesn't mean you have to. I really like the look of Travertine, but I don't love it, so I would never pay money to have it put in. I would, however, put brick style tumbled glass in a bathroom, because I absolutely love it!
7. Shiny is harder to keep up. Keep your main surfaces more of a matte look. It will be easier on you...
How to get the look for less...
1. Buy inexpensive fixtures and then purchase new glass shades for a more expensive look.
2. Have a freestanding hutch instead of a built in.
3. Wood wainscoting is inexpensive compared to tile.
4. Fred Meyer, HomeDepot, and Lowes have lighting that mimics Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn styles for less.
5. Knobs can be expensive. Mix and match with different pieces...
6. Keep your tile neutral and spend the real money on the accent tile.
7. Contractor mirrors and fixtures can be sold at garage sales.
8. Rough up and paint old wood to get that antique look
9. Remember scale is very important...don't buy a small pedestal sink if you have a huge bathroom. It will look like barbie furniture!
10. Antique places have great bureaus and vanities that can be converted into cabinets fairly inexpensively.